Houston Astros: Milo Isn’t The Only Broadcaster That’s Gone
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When Milo Hamilton was pushed out of the radio booth stepped away from the mic, many were sad, many were happy, but regardless of your opinion of the aging play by play baseball broadcaster, the future of Astros radio was still in good hands, right? The voices of Dave Raymond and Brett Dolan had carried us through many dismal seasons. That will no longer be the case.
It was announced yesterday that Dolan and Raymond would not have their contracts renewed and the Houston Astros would begin a search for new radio talent for the 2013 season. One member of the new team is set, as Crawford Jones, the winner of the “You Make The Call” contest, will be doing pre and post game broadcasting for the Astros in 2013.
As for the Houston Astros thoughts on the subject? From Brian McTaggart’s article via MLB.com:
“We appreciate the work Brett and Dave have done for us over the past seven seasons, and wish them well,” Astros president and CEO George Postolos said in a statement. “We are excited to begin the search for the new radio broadcast team of the Astros, and look forward to finding a great talent to succeed Milo.”
I’m confused to say the least. There are many things in the Houston Astros organization that need to be fixed, but the radio broadcasting team was not one of them. Throughout the last few seasons of dismal play on the field and countless trades of fan favorite players (which were understandably needed to restock an empty farm system) the voices of Brett and Dave were often the only bright spots in a game.
I see no reason for this change and am shocked and saddened by it.
What’s next, Postolos? Will Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies still be with the team for 2013? Or do you plan on continuing to antagonize your dwindling fan base?
Will my contract as a fan be renewed? It seems you don’t really want me anymore. I accepted the move the AL. I accepted the bad baseball on the field. I accepted just about everything you’ve thrown at us. But now I put my foot down.
When your organization is in the throws of a complete overall, you HAVE to give your fans something to hold onto. So far, this organization isn’t offering anything. I consider myself a part of the Astros family and families don’t abandon each other, but families sure as hell do call each other out when they’re screwing up.
And you, Houston Astros, are screwing it all up.
This is the second very critical blog I’ve written in the last week and frankly, that saddens me. I think most of you know that I am as die hard of a fan as they come. I’ve defended almost every move of late (except that damn erector set of a sign in left field) and the fact that at every turn this club is forgetting the fans is pushing me to the edge.
It makes me wonder if the Houston Astros want us as fans. Are they trying to overhaul everything, including us? Maybe that’s the case. Because outside of that reasoning, I don’t understand why you would take away the security blanket of your scared and nervous child moments before they are forced into a new world.
What’s been done can now not be undone. At this point, all I can say is that Brett Dolan and Dave Raymond are excellent broadcasters. I enjoyed their time in Houston immensely and I will miss them. They are voices that make baseball fun no matter if your team is winning or losing. I have no doubt that wherever they land, fans will find them as knowledgeable and likable as we did here in Houston.
Good luck to you, Brett and Dave. You will be missed.
Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.
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